William woolnough



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W. WOOLNOUGH.

APPARATUS FOR DOUBLE SBAMING METAL A TIN-s,

No. 486,999. Patente V, 29,-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM WOOLNOUGH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,

APPARATUS FOR DOUBLE-SEAIVIING METAL CANS, TINS, 84C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,999, dated November 29, 1892.

Application filed May 14. 1891l Serial No. 392,741. (No model.) Patented in England Tune 21,'1890, No.9,671i in Germany May 29, 1891, No. 60.228,I in Belgium May 11,1892,No.99.636; in Spain June 15, 1892, No. 13,262, and in Italy Tune 30,

To all wiz/m t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM WooLNoUGH, tin-plate worker, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Cranmer Road,

Forest Gate, London, in the county of Essex,

England, have invented certain new and useful Apparatus for Double Seaming Metal Cans, Tins, Boxes, or Cases, (for which Letters Patent were granted to me in Great Britain, No. 9,671, dated June 2l, 1890; in Germany, No. 60,228, dated May 29, 1891; in Belgium,No. 99,636, dated May 1l, 1892; in Spain, No. 13,262, dated June 15, 1892, and in Italy, No. 207/32,200, dated June 30, 1892,) of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to double-seamed tins, cans, boxes, or cases of the character commonly known as petroleum-tins, or square-cornered or the like angular-shaped cans, tins, boxes, or cases made by machinery from tin-plate or other suitable sheet metal for holding petroleum or for holding otherliqnids, materials, or articles; audit consists of novel machinery or apparatus for producing such double-seamed angular-cornered cans or cases.

Heretofore in making petroleum-tins great difficulty has been experienced in commercially successfully making them so that they would not leak, when in use the soldering of the single seam or jointwhere the top and bottom are joined t0 the sides being always liable to give way and permit leakage, and hence causing loss anddamage.

It is well known that by double-seaming (instead of single`seaming) and thereafter soldering such double seam a much more perfect and liquid-tight joint can be made, and I am aware that square cornered doublei seamed tins or boxes have been made by hand but such hand-made tins or cases are very tedious to make and also very expensive, and heretofore it has practically only been found possible to produce in an economical manner double-seamed tins,cans, boxes, or cases of a circular form or having the corners thereof rounded off in a circular form by means of rollers. i

I have invented machinery for the manufacture of double-seamed square-cornered (or nearly square-cornered, such as a triangular or hexagonal tin) box, can, tin, or case, thus producing by machinery a petroleum-tin or the like square-cornered can, case, or box which is double-seamed all over, and thereby Iobtain greater strength in all the joints and reduce the liability to leakage and also give other very material advantages, including facility and economy of construction. A boy can easily solder such double seams, or the double seam may be soldered in any other suitable way--for instance, by dipping, as is Well understood.

To produce double-seamed square-cornered tins, boxes, cans, or cases, I use the following or equivalent machinery or apparatus in the following or other equivalent manner: The

edges of the sides and top and bottom are v formed in such a manner (by stamping or otherwise) and of sucha size as to give sufficient lap of material to form the double seam required. The top (or bottom) and lsides thus prepared are then placed in a squeezing-machine or apparatus having four square -cornei-ed j aws,which all approach simultaneously toward the center from their four respective corners.

For facility of description I would remark rthat a squeezing-machine (for squeezing on the tops and bottoms of square-cornered and the like tins) such as the Well-known No 3 squeezing-machine made by Rhodes da Sons, of Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, is a suitable and convenient machine for enabling me to carry out my said invention, though I do not limit myself thereto, as my special squeezing-jaws, as hereinafter fully explained, may be applied on any other type of machine suitable for actuating the same. Neither do I limit myself to having my special squeezingjaws in four parts only, as same may be formed y in any suitable number of parts more or less than four, if desired, for tins, &c.,havin g more or less than four corners--as, for instance, octagonal or triangular shaped cans or cases. On the inner edges of the four advancing and receding square-cornered jaws I form a groove or channel, such groove or channel being of such shape, form, or curves as will turn inward the aforesaid projecting double edges of the sides and top (or bottom) and nally lap same over, so that these turned-in edges lie close against the body of the can, case, tin, or box, thus forming all lin one operation a double seam right round the top (or bottom) and corners of the tin, box, can, or case.

In order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily carried into practice, I will proceed to f nrth er describe my said invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a suitable machine having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is plan, on a larger scale, of the top ot' the said machine illustrated in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail Views, upon a still larger scale, of the shaped compressing jaws or pieces in operation, the arrangement, formation, and action of which constitute the essential features of my present invention.

a is the main body of the machine, in which the four sliding parts b b are caused by any suitable power to simultaneously converge to-v ward their common center, in the machine illustrated in Fig. l the power utilized as being convenient being foot-power by means of the treadle c, all of which is well understood, as in the aforesaid wellknown Rhodes machine.

In or on the vertical inner face of each of the sliding pieces b I form, arrange, or mount a groove or channel of a curve or shape to obtain the desired result. Such a groove or channel is shown in Figs. 3 and 4c at d, such groove d in the case illustrated being formed in a detachable block of metal e, which block e is firmly attached to the part b by means of screws e or otherwise, suitably secured, as desired. The lower projecting partf of this grooved block e serves as an anvil or rest to support the under side of t" as it is being doubled over, and said tonguefhas a corresponding recess g formed in the stationary block h to receive same, upon which block h the body or sides of the tin, case, dac., and top (or bottom) thereof are placed, as shown in Fig. 1 and in detail in Fig. 3, just previous to having their edges double-seamed, according to my invention. The top or bottom t' for the can or case, cinc., is cut out or formed with a sufficient margin of metal t" to overlap and form the `double seam, and is shaped all round, as shown in Fig. 3. The side walls m have a projecting edge m', (also see Fig. 3,) both of which edgesy 1l and m', respectively, are easily formed, as also the side walls m are prepared, as is well understood.

The operation is as follows: The top (or bottom) t' is first placed upon the stationary block h, and then the side walls m, already prepared, as above, for each can, dro., are then placed in position on said top if, (see Figs. l and 3,) and the jaws are then simultaneously closed by means ot' the treadle c. The curved channel or groove d first turns over the outer edge of t" onto m', and then as itfurther ad-Y vances it turns over t" a second time, together with mthereinbetween, and so makes a double seam, as shown in Fig. 4, which represents the seainjust before such double seam is finally squeezed up tightly together and against the side Wall m of the can. The other end or cover t of the can, the., is their put on in a similar way, all in one operation.

lf desired, my above-described squeezingjaws may be inverted, so as to turn the overlapping edges downward instead of upward, and also, if desired, the machine may be arranged with two sets of jaws to squeeze on and double seam both top and bottom simultaneously.

l-I'aving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim and claim only The combination, with the stationary block h, having the groove gin its side edges, of advancing and receding square-cornered jaws, each having a projeciingpartffitt-ing in the groove g of the block ligand a groove cl, which is formed in the edges of the jaws at the rear edges of the parts fand is semicircular in cross-section, whereby a double-rolled seam is produced, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM VVOOLNOUGH.

Witnesses: l

HENRY BIRKBECK, 34 Southampton Buildings, London, T/V. O.

JOSEPH LAKE, 17 Gracechurch Street, London, E. O. 

